The Cost of Dishonesty: How Misleading the Community Hurts Families

Inside the Article:

• Lack of Transparency: The Wrightstown Community School District, led by Carla Buboltz prior to July of 2023, failed to adequately communicate its decision to make extra debt payments, which frustrated taxpayers.
• Financial Mismanagement: The board’s decision to pay off a 2% loan early has doubled the financial burden on taxpayers, far exceeding the original referendum’s promise.
• Ethical Concerns: Buboltz’s actions have breached the community’s trust by taking more than what was approved by voters.
• Impact on Trust: The repeated instances of dishonesty have left a lasting impact on the community’s trust in its leaders.
• Opportunity Cost – Families Hurt: Ron Zahn highlighted the economic term opportunity cost, emphasizing how the board’s decision deprives households of the ability to decide how their money should be spent.

Integrity Missing 

In times of economic hardship, transparency and honesty from our leaders are more crucial than ever. Unfortunately, the recent actions of the Wrightstown Community School District, led by District Administrator Carla Buboltz, have left many residents feeling betrayed and misled. This investigative piece delves into the consequences of this dishonesty and its impact on our community.

The Issue at Hand

The history of overtaxing families is well documented. During several board meetings in 2022 and 2023, taxpayers voiced their frustration over the board’s decision to make extra debt payments on the 2019 school referendum. This decision, made without adequate communication or transparency, has led to significant financial strain on families already struggling with high inflation rates.

Lack of Communication

One of the most troubling aspects of this situation is the district’s lack of communication. Keith Wendlandt, a concerned resident, highlighted the district’s failure to respond to his inquiries. Despite multiple attempts to get answers, he received only a vague response from the district administrator, Carla Buboltz, who preferred to meet in person rather than address his questions via email.

Financial Mismanagement

Another resident, Doug Peterson pointed out the financial mismanagement in the board’s decision. The board chose to pay off a 2% loan early, a move that benefits financial institutions more than the community. This decision has doubled the financial burden on taxpayers, far exceeding the original referendum’s promise of a 64-cent increase per thousand dollars.

Moral and Ethical Concerns

The ethical implications of the board’s actions cannot be ignored. By taking more than what was approved by voters, the board has not only mismanaged funds but also breached the trust of the community. John Wollner, another concerned resident, emphasized the inaccessibility and lack of accountability from the school board, further eroding public trust.

Trust Issues

How will families ever trust the Wrightstown School District again, let alone Carla Buboltz, who misled residents during the run-up to the referendum? She can be seen here on video confirming the loan was to be for 20 years. 

At the March 25 school board meeting, Superintendent Carla Buboltz said information on the referendum—which had been prominently displayed on the district website’s home page—was removed.
 
“We suspended any social media posts related to [the referendum] for the last two weeks, [and] we pulled the last mailing,” Buboltz said. The final open house presentation to district residents on March 26 was canceled. Instead, the district is promoting absentee voting for the April 7 election. “There’s a strong, hard push for requesting your absentee ballot to make sure that you vote,” Buboltz said.  Now, allegations are being made the district administrator should have never campaigned for a yes vote for the referendum. 

The school district removed the video of the public meeting where Carla can be heard confirming a debt would be a 20-year payoff. This, along with repeated instances of dishonesty and lack of transparency, has left a lasting impact on the community’s trust in its leaders. Ron Zahn, a resident, expressed his concerns about the board’s reaction to the tax situation, stating, “I would love to have time to summarize the numerous reasons the taxpayers have brought forth why your current policy of pre-paying that debt is not wise”. He also thought the reasons the school board agreed to their strategy do not come close to outweighing the concerns that have been raised by the community. “A recent headline in the Wrightstown Spirit spells it out well, I think. ‘Wrightstown school board doubles down on paying debt early.’ Maybe the editor should have added, ‘without good reason,’” he said.

Zahn talked about the economic term, opportunity cost. “Every time I spend a dollar on item A, I have lost the opportunity to spend that dollar on item B, C, or D.” He continued, “So therefore when the school board attaches an additional $400 or up to $1,000 from what I hear, every year, on each household, those households are being deprived of the opportunity to express their view about how that money should be spent”. He noted that in one house, that could be increasing the college education fund. “Can we say that’s less important than paying down a 2 percent debt?” In another house, it may be replacing the bald tires on the car rather than driving another six months and maybe being involved in an accident, he noted. In another home, it may be less eating out or vacation time, but that’s a decision to be made by a family which they’ve been deprived of. In all cases, the board of education’s intentional actions to double down is “denying taxpayers what they should have, the ability to make this decision themselves unless they have the chance to vote on it”.

Lasting Community Impact of Deception

The actions of the Wrightstown Community School District and Carla Buboltz have had a profound impact on our community. In a time when families were and still are struggling with high inflation, the lack of transparency and financial mismanagement has only added to their burden. The impact is still being felt through the community and has torn the community apart. The current school board president was recalled by board members who supported the practice of debt defeasance.

Current daily attacks against conservative board members by now-retired superintendent Buboltz have filled Facebook in the run-up to the April 1st election. Allegations have been made that her records were deleted from the district servers, which was uncovered during the investigation into Andy Space. It is imperative that our school district superintendent prioritize honesty and accountability to rebuild trust and support within our community.